The FTC and DOJ have granted early termination of the anti-trust review period of Macrovision’s (NSDQ: MVSN) $2.8 billion purchase of Gemstar. In a statement, the companies didn’t give any reasons for the expedited clearance, but it’s relatively small and the companies are quite different, so the deal announced last December shouldn’t have set off any alarms over competition. Of course, regulatory approval isn’t the big issue on this one: shareholder approval is. Macrovision shares got slammed following the announcement, and they’ve only drifted downward since then, a sign of shareholders’ displeasure with the plan. Gemstar, too, is trading well below its pre-deal price. Release.

• Macrovision Buying Gemstar-TV Guide for $2.8 Billion